Every year around this time I like to rank each team’s top overall prospects. My criteria are based on A: Past Performance and B: Future Potential (50% of each per prospect)

Disclaimer: I am not a professional scout, nor did I attend any minor league games this year. These lists are the product of my own research of online scouting reports and scouting videos, as well as statistics, and are compiled purely for entertainment purposes.

Every year around this time I like to rank each team’s top overall prospects. My criteria are based on A: Past Performance and B: Future Potential (50% of each per prospect)

Disclaimer: I am not a professional scout, nor did I attend any minor league games this year. These lists are the product of my own research of online scouting reports and statistics, and are compiled purely for entertainment purposes.

The San Francisco Giants advanced into this year’s NLCS in large part because of their strong starting rotation. The staff’s longterm outlook is good, as another young gun in the form of right-handed Chris Heston is poised to make his presence felt at AT&T Park in the near future.

Heston attended Bayside High School in Palm Bay, Florida before enrolling at Seminole Community College. He eventually transferred to Eastern Carolina University, where he finished his college career. He pitched consistently for both schools and was drafted by the Twins in 2007 (47th round) and Nationals in 2008 (29th round), but declined to sign. His patience was rewarded when the Giants made him their 12th round pick in 2009.

Heston spent the entire 2012 season in Double-A, and lived up to his reputation as a polished pitcher with three solid pitches. He has improved each year in the Giants system, highlighted by a 12-4 record and 3.16 ERA in 2011 and a 9-8 mark and 2.24 ERA in 2012.

Having shown consistent growth and ability, Heston is poised to pitch in San Francisco at some point next season. I recently had the opportunity to catch up with and find out a little more about the talented pitching prospect.

Who was your favorite player when you were growing up, and why?
Growing up I was always a big Chipper Jones fan, and still am. He was just the man at the time when I was growing up playing ball, and he was always a lot of fun to watch play. I wanted to do everything like him.

Before being selecting by the Giants you had previously been drafted by the Nationals and Twins; what made you decide to not sign with them?
At the time I was drafted by the other teams I just didn’t feel like I was ready to take the next step to pro ball. I thought there was still some things I needed to learn and it ended up being a good decision because I got to go to ECU and that was a great learning experience.

Can you describe what your 2009 draft day experience with the Giants was like?
It was exciting and a little nerve racking waiting around for your name to get called, but I had done it a couple other times and kind of knew what to expect. I just tried to enjoy it and I couldn’t have ended up in a better place.

What are the main challenges faced by minor league baseball players?
It’s a grind; it really is. The travel is tough, and eating right is tough, so you just have to try and enjoy it with your teammates

Which pitches do you throw, and which is your best and which do you believe needs the most work?
I throw a sinker, curveball, slider and changeup. I think everyone kind of says it, but the fastball/sinker would have to be the go-to pitch. I think everything can use work; there is always room to get better, so that’s what you have to work at.

Have you had any opportunity to get any advice from Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, or Madison Bumgarner?
In the past some of those guys have came in and talked to us as a group, and I think it’s great. All those guys know what they’re doing, and do it at a high level. Hopefully I will have more opportunities to get more advice from them in the future.

Your production has gotten better every time you have been promoted; what do you attribute this to?
I think it’s just learning as much as possible and trying to apply it to your game. I have had the opportunity to work with some great pitching coaches, so I just try to take as much from them as possible and keep working to get better.

Every year at this time I like to rank each team’s top prospects. My criteria is based upon both past performance and future potential to his parent team. This is my ranking of the 2012 San Francisco Giants Top Prospects. If you have any questions about my rankings, feel free to shoot me a message on twitter @Jaypers413

To qualify, a prospect must have fewer than 130 at-bats or 50 innings in MLB

Disclaimer – I did not attend any minor league games this year, nor do I claim to have any scouting experience. These lists are the product of my own research of statistics and online scouting reports.

With the 2011 minor league season complete we check in on the progress of each of the San Francisco Giants preseason Top 15 prospects as ranked by our prospect ranker J.P. Schwartz. The post season grading report was done by the publisher of Top Prospect Alert, not Mr. Schwartz, and reflects only the 2011 season and not future upside or downside of the individual prospect. Our 2012 preseason rankings will be published in the coming months.

#1 Brandon BeltGRADE: B
Belt batted .225 with 6 Doubles, 1 Triple, 9 Home Runs and 18 RBI’s with the Giants. He walked 20 times and struck out 57 times in 63 big league games. In the minors Belt batted a combined .320 with 13 Doubles, 8 Home Runs and 36 RBI’s in four games with the High-A San Jose Giants and 49 games with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies.

#2 Zack WheelerTRADED TO NEW YORK METS
Wheeler was traded to the New York Mets in the Carlos Beltran deal. Wheeler went a combined 9-7 with a 3.52ERA between High-A San Jose and the New York’s High-A St. Lucie Mets affiliate.

#3 Gary BrownGRADE: A+
Brown hit .336 with 34 Doubles, 13 Triples, 14 Home Runs and 80 RBI’s for High-A San Jose. He also added 53 stolen bases. Brown walked 46 times and struck out 77 times in 131 games.

#4 Thomas NealTRADED TO CLEVELAND
Neal was traded to the Cleveland Indians in the Orlando Cabrera deal. He batted a combined .289 with 14 Doubles, 3 Triples, 2 Home Runs and 26 RBI’s between Triple-A Fresno and the Indians Triple-A Columbus Clippers affiliate.

#5 Francisco PegueroGRADE: B+
Peguero batted a combined .312 with 14 Doubles, 6 Triples, 7 Home Runs and 46 RBI’s between High-A San Jose and the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels. He walked 12 times and struck out 53 times in 87 games.

#6 Eric SurkampGRADE: A
Surkamp went a combined 11-4 with a 1.94ERA between one start at High-A San Jose and 22 at Double-A Richmond. He walked 45 batters and struck out 170 in 148.1 innings. Opposing batters hit .212 off of Surkamp. In six late season starts with San Francisco, Surkamp was 2-2 with a 5.74ERA.

#8 Chuckie JonesGRADE: C-
Jones batted .218 with 6 Doubles, 2 Home Runs and 9 RBI’s for the Short-A Salem Keizer Volcanoes. He walked 15 times and struck out 48 times in 41 games.

#9 Jorge BucardoGRADE: DID NOT PLAY
Bucardo missed all of 2011 with an arm injury.

#10 Rafael RodriguezGRADE: C
Rodriguez batted .236 with 15 Doubles, 2 Triples, 1 Home Run and 30 RBI’s for the Low-A Augusta GreenJackets. He walked 24 times and stuck out 69 times in 96 games.

#11 Michael MainGRADE: D
Main went 2-4 with a 6.84ERA for High-A San Jose. He walked 36 and struck out 46 in 52.2 innings. Opposing hitters batted .295 against Main on the season.

#12 Ehire AdrianzaGRADE: B
Adrianza batted a combined .273 with 34 Doubles, 4 Triples, 6 Home Runs and 44 RBI’s between Low-A Augusta and High-A San Jose. He walked 41 times and struck out 78 times in 94 games.

#13 Chris DominguezGRADE: B-
Dominguez batted a combined .266 with 32 Doubles, 3 Triples, 18 Home Runs and 85 RBI’s between High-A San Jose and Double-A Richmond. He walked 27 times and struck out 151 times in 141 games. Dominguez batted nearly 50 points less in Double-A than he did in Single-A.

#14 Heath HembreeGRADE: A+
Hembree went a combined 1-1 with a 1.86ERA and 38 saves between High-A San Jose and Double-A Richmond. He walked 25 and struck out 78 in 53.1 innings. Opposing hitters batted just .188 against Hembree on the season.

#15 Seth RosinGRADE: B
Rosin went 2-3 with a 3.34ERA and 2 saves for Low-A Augusta. He walked 30 and struck out 93 in 89 innings. Opposing batters hit .247 against Rosin on the season.

San Francisco Giants rookie Brett Pill blasted a Home Run in his first two major league games. As a result the baseball card market for the career minor leaguer who turns 27 on Friday all of a sudden his previously worth very little baseball cards were selling at levels that match the best in the game. Check out the insane prices people have paid for some of his rarest cards.

Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting one time San Francisco Giants prospect Angel Villalona who was charged with murder and served jail time in the Dominican Republic before reaching a settlement with the victim’s family, and then having the charges against him dropped, may soon be back in the organization. Villalona, who is still just 21 years old was a one time top 10 prospect in the organization before his legal trouble that began in 2009. He also sued the Giants for breach of contract while his murder charges played out. Villalona batted .267 with 11 Doubles, 9 Home Runs and 42 RBI’s for High-A San Jose as a 19 year old in 2009. One hurdle to clear before he returns is a $5 million lawsuit he filed against the Giants claiming they wrongfully kept him on the inactive list. Read more about Villalona’s legal troubles and his anticipated return to baseball in the story link below.

Multiple sources are reporting that the San Francisco Giants top pitching prospect Eric Surkamp will make his major league debut on Saturday against the Houston Astros. The 24 year old lefty went 10-4 with a 2.02ERA in 142.1 innings for the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels. He waled 44 and struck out 165 batters and opposing hitters batted just .213 off him this season. Surkamp is a USA Baseball alum and was a 6th round pick of the Giants out of NC State in the 2008 draft. He owns a career 25-13 record in four minor league seasons.

The last time Jerome Williams pitched in the big leagues it was 2007 and he went 0-5 with a 7.20 ERA in six starts for the Washington Nationals. Since then the former 1st round pick of the San Francisco Giants back in 1999 has literally gone around the globe in an effort to return to the majors. Since his stint with the Nationals, Williams has been a member of the Las Vegas 51’s, Sacramento Rivercats, Salt Lake City Bees, Inland Empire 66ers, Long Beach Armada, Lancaster Barnstormers, and even the Uni-President Lions in Taiwan. When Williams phone rang Tuesday night, he didn’t answer it. A text message later, he found out he was headed back to the big leagues for the first time in over four years. He responded with 2/3 of an inning of scoreless ball closing out Anaheim’s 4-3 loss to the Rangers on Wednesday. Williams was promoted after going 7-2 with a 3.91ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A Salt Lake covering 73.2 innings in which he struck out 60 while walking just 15. In the story by Angels beat writer Bill Plunkett who is a must follow on twitter @billplunkettocr, Williams talks about his disbelief at being back in the big leagues, the long journey between now and 2007, and overcoming the label of being “lazy” during his first run in the majors with the Giants, Cubs, and Nationals.